Perlich's Picks

The use of the term "lounge" in the title of a sound library compilation probably won't help sales of the second volume of Soho Lounge Heat (EMI), but track scrounger Dickie Klenchblaize has once again come up with the dramatically funky goods, this time pillaging the UK holdings of Boosey & Hawkes , Cavendish and Amphonic . Klenchblaize evidently knows little about the who, what, where, when, why and how behind the recordings, so he fills the liner notes with nonsense about his difficulties putting out the disc. Fortunately, well-chosen jazzy gems like Mad Mendoza, Leagueliner and Loose Collar Man make up for the shortcomings. Let the chopping begin.

Dirty South

Many of Dean Rudland 's funk compilations have been patchy affairs loaded with crossover tracks designed to appease bored Northern soul fans in search of something slightly harder than Sliced Tomatoes. With the help of Louisiana scene scholar John Broven , Rudland does a better than anticipated job of rooting through the blues-funk oddities cut for Eddie Schuler , Jay Miller and Floyd Soileau , coming up with some straight-up swampy savagery on Southern Funkin' (BGP). Just check out Bill Parker 's menacing Gonna Put My Foot Down and Katie Webster 's nasty Hell Or High Water and you'll know you're in for a blast of the good 'n' greasy stuff.

Hooray for Bollywood

Get a jump on this weekend's Masala! Mehndi! Masti! celebrations with the fantastic IndiaVision (Buda Musique) collection of groove-heavy classics from RD Burman , Kalyanji & Anandji , Bappi Lahiri and Laxmikant & Pyarelal , recorded during Bollywood's golden era. Instead of simply offering the hit tunes from the most popular films, IndiaVision favours the more musically inventive and colourfully dramatic - some might say over-the-top zany - tracks, which should still appeal to those who haven't yet been bitten by the Bollywood bug. This is a dazzling display of avant-pop at its best, simultaneously adventurous, cheeky and thoroughly entertaining.

Digging Sir Doug

Hard to believe as it may seem, Universal 's Hip-O Select reissue subsidiary has assembled a five-disc retrospective of the Sir Douglas Quintet 's Mercury recordings. It includes their six albums, along with separate discs of rarities (featuring Doug Sahm 's Roy Head and Junior Parker productions) and mono versions of singles tracks, all sweetly remastered from the original tapes. From Mendocino through The Return Of Doug Saldaña, it's a heady trip through psychedelic blues, rockin' norteña and raunchy roadhouse R&B, putting Sir Doug way ahead of the Americana curve. The pricey cloth-bound Complete Mercury Masters set is exclusively available online and limited to 5,000 copies. Don't sleep. www.hip-oselect.com.